Germany has a total area of 357,114 sq km (137,883 sq mi), which makes it the fifth largest European country after Ukraine, France, Spain, and Sweden. Germany is bounded on the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea;

on the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; on the south by Austria and Switzerland; and on the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Stretching from the Baltic and North seas to the Alps, Germany measures 800 km (500 mi) from north to south; the country extends 600 km (400 mi) from west to east. In addition to coastline and mountains, the varied terrain includes forests, hills, plains, and river valleys. Several navigable rivers traverse the uplands, and canals connect the river systems of the Elbe, Rhine, Main, and Danube rivers and link the North Sea with the Baltic.